New Parkinson's learning pathway for therapists launches

The UK Parkinson's Excellence Network has launched a new learning pathway, created in collaboration with the Parkinson's Academy, to help occupational therapists, physiotherapists, and speech and language therapists easily find appropriate learning to improve their Parkinson's-specific skills and care.When someone has Parkinson's it affects every aspect of their therapist's assessment and intervention. Understanding the specific challenges and features of Parkinson's is crucial to providing the highest quality care and tailored treatment for people living with the condition.However, many therapy professionals struggle to find the right learning opportunities to develop their skills in the management of people living with Parkinson's. This is made worse by the fact most occupational therapists, physiotherapists and speech and language therapists see only a few people with Parkinson's in their day to day work.To address this learning and skills gap, the Excellence Network has launched a new learning pathway, developed by therapists for therapists. It brings together information about relevant resources and professional development opportunities for any therapist, working in any setting. One of the courses included in the Learning Pathway is the Parkinson's Academy Foundation MasterClass.

How does the learning pathway work?

The pathway makes it easy to find relevant resources, study days and courses to develop knowledge and skills.When entering the pathway, you can select your profession and explore information and resources according to your interests and learning needs. There are general resources about Parkinson's, alongside further information on how to learn more about motor and non-motor symptoms.You're also able to look at pathways for the other therapy professions. The overlap between the individual therapy disciplines reflects the diverse role undertaken by therapists in different settings and services around the UK.Other allied health professionals may also find the resource useful in their own learning and development. To capture the range of professionals using the pathway, and inform future resource development, all pathway users have the option to input a discipline other than therapy when registering to use the pathway.

How do I register for the pathway?

You can register for the pathway by visiting the UK Parkinon's Excellence Network Learning Hub, selecting the therapists pathway and registering your details.You'll also find information about the pathway launched earlier this year for Parkinson's nurse specialists, as well as information about other events and learning opportunities.

We need your help

The pathway is a live document. To keep it current and relevant we need you to tell us about all the suitable learning for therapists across the UK.If you're a therapist working with people with Parkinson's please tell us about learning you have found helpful at education3@parkinsons.org.uk.

What's next?

The Excellence Network will launch a third learning pathway for other health and social care staff in Winter 2018. Please visit the UK Parkinon's Excellence Network Learning Hub for more information.